DJI releases offline mode to calm fears over privacy and security

Earlier this month, drone maker DJI took a huge PR hit when the US Army abruptly stopped using the company's drones due to 'cyber vulnerabilities.' The decision was revealed in a leaked memo, and DJI was left defending its privacy and security practices to a suddenly skeptical public. Today, the company takes its privacy efforts a bit further with the release of a 'Local Data Mode' that allows pilots to fly their DJI drones without an internet connection.

The mode was announced yesterday, and it does exactly what it sounds like: when enabled, it stops all data transfer and connectivity between DJI's apps and the internet. It's like incognito mode for drones.

DJI uses that internet connection to "ensure a drone has the most relevant local maps and geofencing data, latest app versions, correct radio frequency and power requirements, and other information that enhances flight safety and functionality," but the company understands that not all customers need or want this functionality to be on all the time.

“We are creating local data mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organizations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,” DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman says in the press release. “DJI is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers’ photos, videos and flight logs. Local data mode will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.”

Despite the timing of the release, DJI has told the New York Times that the company has not been in touch with the US Army about its security concerns, and besides, this update seems to have been in the works since before the memo in question went public. Still, this 'offline' option feels like a win for privacy advocates and the military alike.

Local Data Mode will be available in DJI's fleet of apps "starting in the next several weeks"—these include DJI GO, DJI GO 4, DJI XT Pro, DJI Pilot and Ground Station Pro. But be warned, due to some local regulations and/or requirements, it might not be available in all areas.

To find out more, read the full press release below:

Press Release

DJI Develops Option For Pilots To Fly Without Internet Data Transfer

New Local Data Mode Provides Enhanced Data Privacy Assurances

August 14, 2017 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, is developing a new local data mode that stops internet traffic to and from its flight control apps, in order to provide enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers.

DJI’s flight control apps routinely communicate over the internet to ensure a drone has the most relevant local maps and geofencing data, latest app versions, correct radio frequency and power requirements, and other information that enhances flight safety and functionality. When a pilot enables local data mode, DJI apps will stop sending or receiving any data over the internet, giving customers enhanced assurances about the privacy of data generated during their flights.

“We are creating local data mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organizations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs. “DJI is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers’ photos, videos and flight logs. Local data mode will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.”

Because it blocks all internet data, use of local data mode means DJI apps will not update maps or geofencing information, will not notify pilots of newly-issued flight restrictions or software updates, and may result in other performance limitations. However, it will provide an enhanced level of data assurance for sensitive flights, such as those involving critical infrastructure, commercial trade secrets, governmental functions or other similar operations.

“We are pleased about how rapidly DJI’s customer base has expanded from hobbyists and personal drone pilots to include professional, commercial, government and educational users,” said Jan Gasparic, DJI head of enterprise partnership. “As more of these customers have asked for additional assurances about how their data is handled, DJI has moved to address their needs by developing local data mode to provide enhanced data management options for customers who want to use them.”

DJI recognizes the importance of data privacy to its customers. DJI does not collect or have access to user flight logs, photos or videos unless the user chooses to share those by syncing flight logs with DJI servers, uploading photos or videos to DJI’s SkyPixel website, or physically delivering the drone to DJI for service.

DJI publicly committed to protecting its customers’ data privacy in April 2016. In a March 2017 white paper, DJI became the first major drone manufacturer to advocate for protecting the privacy of drone users as the United States and European governments develop regulations to monitor drone flights. No other civilian drone manufacturer there has been as vocal as DJI in protecting the operational and data privacy interests of drone users.

“Local data mode will allow customers to get the most out of their DJI flight control apps while providing added assurance that critical data is not inadvertently transmitted over the internet,” Schulman said. “We are pleased to be able to develop local data mode as part of our drive to serve our customers’ needs as well as advocate for their interests.”

Local data mode has been in development for several months and will be included in future versions of DJI apps, starting in the next several weeks. DJI’s apps include DJI GO, DJI GO 4, DJI XT Pro, DJI Pilot and Ground Station Pro, which run on smartphones and tablets that control the drone or connect to the drone’s remote control unit. The local data mode feature may not be available in locations where an internet connection is required or highly advisable due to local regulations or requirements.

Comments

In the end, as the drone uses GPS, it can still be made to honor prevailing laws. The next phase of this evolutionary battle will be the need for your drone to update no-fly restrictions on-line ... at some point.

To ensure you do, it will refuse to operate if those databases are not kept updated. Essentially time-bombing the drone and forcing you to abide by the restrictions.

Those that think an off-line mode helps in that regard, it doesn't. If you think that drone makers will not take these measures eventually, they will be forced to. about 15 minutes after some deadly accident occurs, or when some weaponized drone is successfully used.

This is important in the western USA or anywhere there are hills which block the line of sight 4G signals from a cell tower. The DJI internet connectivity has required a smartphone with a 4G connection to the internet. 3G or 1xRTT is not enough to connect to the DJI web servers successfully.

This has everything to do with not being restricted to those areas where there is a 4G cell signal available than with the military issue as after all the army is not buying DJI Phantom drones in quantity but rather drones that can carry weapons and kill people. DJI drones, even the commercial models, are hardly military grade in terms of the reliability of the operating code.

The DJI drones are remarkable for the price but one is not getting a reliable or particularly durable aircraft which is why DJI has the $149 Care program to fix a damaged aircraft during its first year of use by a customer.

I had been considering getting a DJI quadcopter but I had been oblivious to the fact they used the internet at all. The last few stories about these issues have absolutely amazed me. I wouldn't dream of getting one now, regardless of what this release states! It just seems such a crazy complication to using a simple tool and I bet there are a lot of potential customers like me looking elsewhere too. More madness in modern society.

I'm on my fourth aerial camera (first was on a conventional, single rotor radio-controllled helicopter, next three were quads). I'm looking for a much better camera to do fill shots for video. Yes, a cool hobby, if you hold your tongue right and the moon is in the right place! So far it has been more frustrating than cool because cheap rigs are cheap for a reason...

what stops the app from accumulating and then sending when it gets out of offline mode? Or from airport mode? If there's no permanent way to take the app offline, the safest way is:1) install a firewall app on phone which removes internet capability from DJI's app2) once a while "clear data" on the DJI app.

Communication with the drone is handled by the DJI controller. It is a common practice to use airplane mode on your phone or tablet (which is connected to the controller by cable). Airplane mode stops your flight being interrupted by incoming data traffic to the phone.

Okay, I've never used a drone nor familiarized myself with them in any sort of meaningful depth, so please don't clobber me for asking: Why does a phone or tablet have to be involved at all? Would a more retro-like, standalone handheld control device suffice for some buyers? Problem solved, perhaps?

You need a monitor to show these things:- the view of the front facing camera- a map of the surrounding area- flight parameters like: altitude, distance, fly home time, speed, battery status, remaining flight time, collision avoidance indication...and many other more.For these tasks a phone or tablet is the simples and cheapest solution (as already purchased in most cases) to display everything.

I always find it weird that companies first have all the privacy-invading, information-collecting, internet-enabled features on by default, and then when the backlash hits, they start offering updates to turn that stuff off.

Anyone remembers the crap about app-enabled vibrators (yes, that's right) that were sending some data off to the manufacturer? Or Xbox One or everything else from Microsoft for that matter?

Obviously soon the public will be so used to all this garbage (after all everyone already uses Google, Apple, Facebook etc.) that there will be no more 'privacy' updates at all.

Correction, they SAY they offer options that disable the collection of the data. Unless you do a security teardown on the device, and see what its actually doing, you are trusting what the vendor says is true.

To all paranoid ones - there is only one way to be sure - make them yourself. There are no guarantees that any manufacturer isn't covertly collecting data. Not joking at all. So - no SoCs or CPUs, no baseband chips, no WiFi chips, no ISPs and similar ready made. They have all been compromised in recent time (hello Broadcom).

So, bunch of transistors, resistors, capacitors and the like, solder in one hand, extreme patience in the other and a powerful engine to get it off the ground :D

I see it like this - if you are interesting enough for CIA, NSA, FSB and others, you already have much larger problems than using a drone. Anything that can work with no network connectivity should be OK, my sarcastic response was aimed at people complaining that it's still possible that software reports back to some servers even when it says it's not.

Imagine what the government in China would do to a company that does what DJI does. There's no reason a drone should have to be connected to the internet in order to fly. Updates? Sure. But just to fly?!? No.

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